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Ask the Veterinarian/Blood in Cat Stool

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Expert: - 3/20/2011


Question
Hi, I have a three year old Ragdoll cat who recently started have blood in his stool. He's been on a steady diet, and it's not runny or anything, and I was wondering if it was something that I should be extremely concerned about.

Answer
Frank blood in the stool is usually caused by dietary changes or even changes in the ingredients of the food itself.

If your cat is on a cheaper brand of food, or a grocery store brand, or a brand that doesn't used fixed-formulation, then it can cause this irritation that leads to bleeding from the large intestine or colon.

If it is intermittent or daily, you need to switch him to a high quality food such as Science Diet. Until I started feeding this myself to my cats over 25 yrs ago they all had this kind of bloody, sticky stool.

Once they got on Science Diet I have never seen it since. Science Diet is one of the last food companies to stick with a fixed-formulation so that their food is consistent from batch to batch, bag to bag. This prevents these kind of digestive upsets.


So rethink what you are feeding him and make a plan to switch to something better.
Always take 7 days to switch your pet to a new food.

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Jana Connell RVT, CVT

Expertise

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

Organizations
Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

Education/Credentials
Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

Awards and Honors
Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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